Mid lock-up receiver

ABSTRACT

Mid lock-up receivers have an elongated body, the body defining a passage, the body having a first rear portion and a second forward portion adjacent to and forward of the rear portion, the first rear portion defining a first passage segment having a first diameter and the second forward portion defining a second passage segment having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, a stop surface defined at a forward end of the first rear portion, an elongated sleeve defining a sleeve passage and received in the second passage segment, the sleeve having a rear-facing limit surface spaced apart from the stop surface, and the sleeve being compressively received in the body wherein the body is in tension about the sleeve, and the sleeve is compressed by the body. The sleeve may be thermally bonded to the body.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/582,199 filed on Sep. 25, 2019, entitled “MID LOCK-UP RECEIVER,” which is a Continuation-in-Part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/036,197 filed on Jul. 16, 2018, now issued as U.S. Pat. No. 10,495,394, entitled “MID LOCK-UP RECEIVER,” which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/544,047 filed on Aug. 11, 2017, entitled “Mid Lock Receiver Design,” which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all that is taught and disclosed therein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to firearms, and more particularly to a mid lock-up receiver having locking lugs on the bolt located midway through the receiver.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Historically, the most common bolt action rimfire receivers use rear lock-up: the locking lugs are associated with the bolt handle and lock into the rear of the receiver. This design allows the receiver to be free from lug ways propagating through the receiver and terminating at the breech of the barrel. The rear lock-up manufacturing approach is easier and more economical than conventional methods for manufacturing a mid lock-up receiver, but the design produces a less accurate rifle than one with a mid lock-up receiver.

A less common, but more desired design, are mid lock-up receivers: the locking lugs on the bolt are located midway through the receiver. Forward of the bolt body is a bolt nose that remains stationary to the turning of the bolt body. Although the mid lock-up arrangement is preferred for rifle accuracy, it has generally been avoided because the design is more difficult and costly to manufacture. In addition, available manufacturing processes dictate the lug ways run the full length of the receiver without terminating at the abutments. This produces a less rigid receiver and minimal support for the bolt nose, which adversely affect rifle accuracy.

Prior art examples of mid lock-up receivers are the Remington 40X 22LR, Kelbly Swindlehurst, and Stiller Lonestar. It should be appreciated that only the Stiller Lonestar remains in production. Production of these receivers was short-lived because of their high manufacturing cost. In the case of the Kelbly and Stiller receivers, potential customers balked at purchasing them because of their perceived accuracy disadvantage resulting from them having lug ways continuing forward of the abutments.

Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved mid lock-up receiver that can be manufactured economically without lug ways that continue forward of the abutments. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the mid lock-up receiver according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of providing a mid lock-up receiver that can be manufactured economically without lug ways that continue forward of the abutments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an improved mid lock-up receiver, and overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages and drawbacks of the prior art. As such, the general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide an improved mid lock-up receiver that has all the advantages of the prior art mentioned above.

To attain this, the preferred embodiment of the present invention essentially comprises an elongated body, the body defining a passage, the body having a first rear portion and a second forward portion adjacent to and forward of the rear portion, the first rear portion defining a first passage segment having a first diameter and the second forward portion defining a second passage segment having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, a stop surface defined at a forward end of the first rear portion, an elongated sleeve defining a sleeve passage and received in the second passage segment, the sleeve having a rear facing limit surface spaced apart from the stop surface, and the sleeve being compressively received in the body wherein the body is in tension about the sleeve, and the sleeve is compressed by the body. The sleeve may be thermally bonded to the body. There are, of course, additional features of the invention that will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims attached.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more important features of the invention in order that the detailed description thereof that follows may be better understood and in order that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of the current embodiment of the mid lock-up receiver constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front isometric view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the insert installed.

FIG. 3 is a rear isometric view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the bolt in the unlocked position.

FIG. 4 is a front isometric sectional view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the bolt in the locked position.

FIG. 5 is a side sectional view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the bolt in the locked position.

FIG. 6 is a top sectional view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the bolt in the locked position.

FIG. 7 is a rear sectional view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the bolt in the locked position.

FIG. 8 is a front sectional view of the mid lock-up receiver of FIG. 1 with the bolt in the locked position.

FIG. 9 is a bottom sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the mid lock-up receiver constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.

The same reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the various figures.

DESCRIPTION OF THE CURRENT EMBODIMENT

A current embodiment of the mid lock-up receiver of the present invention is shown and generally designated by the reference numeral 10.

FIGS. 1 & 2 illustrate the improved mid lock-up receiver 10 of the present invention. More particularly, the mid lock-up receiver has an elongated cylindrical receiver body 12 having a front 14, rear 16, right side 18, left side 20 (shown in FIG. 4), and bottom 22. The front and rear of the receiver body are open, defining a hollow interior passage 24. The front of the interior defines a threaded portion 26 that threadedly engages with the rear of a barrel (not shown) when the mid lock-up receiver is assembled into a rifle. The bottom of the receiver body defines a magazine aperture 28 that communicates with the interior and receives the top of a magazine (not shown) when the mid lock-up receiver is assembled into a rifle. The right side of the receiver body defines an ejection aperture 30 that communicates with the interior and enables spent cartridge casings to be expelled from the receiver body. A tang 32 that defines a bolt handle notch 54 protrudes rearwardly from the bottom rear of the receiver body.

An insert 34 is an elongate cylindrical sleeve received within the hollow interior 24 of the receiver body 12. The insert has a front 36, rear 38, right side 40, left side 58 (shown in FIG. 4), and bottom 42. The front and rear of the insert are open, defining a hollow interior sleeve passage 44. The bottom of the insert defines a magazine aperture 46 that communicates with the interior 44 and receives the top of a magazine (not shown) when the mid lock-up receiver 10 is assembled into a rifle. The right side of the insert defines an ejection aperture 48 that communicates with the interior 44 and enables spent cartridge casings to be expelled from the insert. It should be appreciated that the magazine aperture 46 and ejection aperture 48 of the insert are sized and positioned such that they are axially registered with the magazine aperture 28 and ejection aperture 30 of the receiver body when the insert is installed within the hollow interior of the receiver body.

FIG. 3 illustrates the improved mid lock-up receiver 10 of the present invention. More particularly, the mid lock-up receiver is shown with a bolt 100 in the unlocked/out of battery position. The bolt has a bolt body 102 having a bolt nose 104, rear 106, right side 108, and left side 110 (shown in FIG. 4). A radiused right bolt lug 112 protrudes from the right side of the bolt body, and a radiused left bolt lug 114 protrudes from the left side of the bolt body. A bolt handle 116 protrudes from the rear right side of the bolt body in the current embodiment for a right-handed user. However, it should be appreciated the bolt handle could protrude from the rear left side of the bolt body for a left-handed user.

The mid lock-up receiver 10 is intended to be used in a 0.22 rimfire bolt action rifle (not shown) in the current embodiment. The mid lock-up receiver is a turn-pull design: the user performs an upward lifting movement of the bolt handle 116 to disengage the bolt handle from the bolt handle notch 54 and to turn and unlock the bolt 100 from the breech and cock the firing pin, followed by pulling the bolt handle rearward to open the breech, extract the spent cartridge casing and eject the spent cartridge casing through the ejection apertures 30, 48. The user reverses the process to chamber the next cartridge by stripping a cartridge (not shown) from a magazine (not shown) protruding through the magazine apertures 28, 46 and relocking the breech via a lowering movement of the bolt handle into the bolt handle notch to turn and lock the bolt. The right and left bolt lugs 112, 114 secure the bolt in place as the rifle is fired. In the unlocked condition, the bolt can reciprocate fore and aft within the interior 24 because the right and left bolt lugs are slidably received within right and left radiused lug ways 50, 52, and the bolt nose is slidably received the interior 44 of the insert 34.

It should be appreciated that conventional bolt lugs have flats and corners, requiring conventional lug ways to be machined using the Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) process. In contrast, the use of radiused right and left bolt lugs 112, 114 in the current invention eliminates the need for use in the costly EDM process to machine the right and left radiused lug ways 50, 52. Instead, the right and left radiused lug ways can be machined with typical, low-cost mill tools.

FIGS. 4-8 illustrate the improved mid lock-up receiver 10 of the present invention. More particularly, the mid lock-up receiver is shown with the bolt 100 in the locked/in battery position. The bolt has been pushed forward until the right and left bolt lugs 112, 114 have contacted the rear 38 of the insert 34, which prevents further forward movement of the bolt. The bolt handle 116 has then been lowered into the bolt handle notch 54, which has also rotated the right and left bolt lugs 112 such that rearward movement of the right and left bolt lugs and bolt is prevented by receiver abutments 56. The receiver abutments are forward-facing step surfaces that divide the body 12 into a first rear portion 126 and a second forward portion 128 adjacent to and forward of the first rear portion. The first rear portion defines a first passage segment 130 of the interior 24 having a first diameter, and a second forward portion defines a second passage segment 132 of the interior having a second diameter greater than the first diameter. The receiver abutments are defined at a forward face of the first portion. The insert 34 is received in the second passage segment with the rear end 38 of the sleeve spaced apart from the receiver abutments to define a bolt lug space 124. The bolt is of two-part construction with the bolt nose/face 104 being secured in a fixed orientation with respect to the receiver body 12 by alignment pin 118 received by channel 122. Thus, the bolt nose is a forward portion of the bolt forward of the lugs, and rotatable with respect to the lugs, that is rotationally engaged to the insert such that the bolt nose does not rotate when the right and left bolt lugs rotate. Only the rear 106 portion of the bolt, including the right and left bolt lugs, rotates as the bolt handle is raised and lowered. The rotation of the rear portion of the bolt relative to the bolt nose is enabled by the engagement of two pins 136 with a diametric groove 120 in the bolt nose. Alternatively, bayonet-style lugs could be used to retain the bolt nose to the bolt. The forward bolt nose portion of the bolt is received in the sleeve passage 44 with a bolt face 134 positioned proximate to the front/forward end 36 of the insert. The rear portion of the bolt is received in the first passage segment.

It should be appreciated that the insert 34 of the current invention can be machined with typical, low-cost mill tools. The body and insert passages 24, 44 are accurately formed via highly precise fixturing and machining processes to ensure the passages are concentric after the insert is received within the body. The depth of insertion of the insert within the body is also established via highly precise fixtures. The fit between the insert and receiver is thermally set: the insert is submerged in liquid nitrogen before insertion. The receiver may be optionally heated before the insert is inserted. The insert subsequently warms to room temperature within the body and adheres via interference. Thus, the insert is thermally bonded to and compressively received in the body wherein the body is in tension about the insert, and the insert is compressed by the body. The body and insert are made of the same material, so they share the same thermal coefficient. This enables the body and insert to expand and contract together in response to environmental variations. The magazine apertures/ports 28, 46 and ejection apertures/ports 30, 48 are machined in the body and insert after the insert is installed in the receiver. This ensures the magazine apertures are axially registered with one another and the ejection apertures are axially registered with one another. The insert enables the radiused lug ways 50, 52 to terminate at the midpoint of the receiver body 12, thereby increasing the accuracy of a rifle using the mid lock-up receiver 10 relative to a rifle using a conventional rear lock-up receiver. Furthermore, the interior 44 of the insert closely receives the bolt nose 104, which enables the bolt nose to be supported and increases the rigidity of the mid lock-up receiver, thereby increasing the accuracy of a rifle using the mid lock-up receiver of the current invention relative to prior art mid lock-up receivers. Thus, the mid lock-up receiver of the current invention can be produced at a lower cost, produced more rapidly, and result in a rifle with greater accuracy than prior art rear and mid lock-up receivers.

A method of manufacturing the mid-lock up receiver 10, which is a bolt action firearm receiver in the current embodiment, includes the steps of: providing an elongated cylindrical body, generating in the body a first passage portion having a first diameter, generating in the body a second passage portion coaxial with the first passage portion having a second diameter greater than the first diameter, providing a sleeve having an exterior profile sized to be closely received in the second passage portion, generating in the sleeve a sleeve passage; establishing a body temperature greater than a sleeve temperature, and while the body is at a greater temperature than the sleeve, inserting the sleeve into the second passage portion as denoted by the arrow in FIG. 1. The step of inserting the sleeve may include positioning a rear end of the sleeve at a selected distance from the first passage portion. There may be a step of after inserting the sleeve, machining a magazine aperture and an ejection aperture in the body and sleeve. The step of machining a magazine aperture and an ejection aperture in the body and sleeve may include boring axially registered passages of a common shape. The step of establishing a body temperature greater than a sleeve temperature may include heating the body and chilling the sleeve.

FIG. 9 illustrates an alternative embodiment of the improved mid lock-up receiver 200 of the present invention. More particularly, the mid lock-up receiver has an elongated cylindrical receiver body 212 having a front 214, rear 216, right side 218, left side 220, and bottom (not visible). The front and rear of the receiver body are open, defining a hollow interior passage 224. The front of the interior defines a threaded portion 226 that threadedly engages with the rear of a barrel (not shown) when the mid lock-up receiver is assembled into a rifle. The bottom of the receiver body defines a magazine aperture (not visible) that communicates with the interior and receives the top of a magazine (not shown) when the mid lock-up receiver is assembled into a rifle. The right side of the receiver body defines an ejection aperture 230 that communicates with the interior and enables spent cartridge casings to be expelled from the receiver body. A tang (not visible) that defines a bolt handle notch (not visible) protrudes rearwardly from the bottom rear of the receiver body.

An insert 234 is an elongate sleeve received within the hollow interior 224 of the receiver body 212. The insert has a front 236, rear 238, right side 240, left side 258, and bottom (not visible). The front and rear of the insert are open, defining a hollow interior sleeve passage 244. The bottom of the insert defines a magazine aperture (not visible) that communicates with the interior 244 and receives the top of a magazine (not shown) when the mid lock-up receiver 200 is assembled into a rifle. The right side of the insert defines an ejection aperture 248 that communicates with the interior 244 and enables spent cartridge casings to be expelled from the insert. It should be appreciated that the magazine aperture and ejection aperture 248 of the insert are sized and positioned such that they are axially registered with the magazine aperture and ejection aperture 230 of the receiver body when the insert is installed within the hollow interior of the receiver body.

Compared to the insert 34, the insert 234 extends further rearward within the passage 224 and has internal features that provide the functions of the receiver abutments 56 and the bolt lug space 124. The body 212 also has internal features to locate the insert 234 within the passage 224. Specifically, the body has a first rear portion 326 and a second forward portion 328 adjacent to and forward of the first rear portion. The first rear portion defines a first passage segment 330 having a first diameter and the second forward portion defining a second passage segment 332 having a second diameter greater than the first diameter. A stop surface 322 is defined at a forward end of the first portion. The insert 234 is received in the second passage segment with the rear end 238 of the sleeve abutting the stop surface. The rear end of the sleeve is configured to contact the stop surface to establish a relative position of the sleeve with respect to the body. The insert 234 has a rear facing limit surface 330 spaced apart from the stop surface. The insert 234 has a rear passage portion 332 of a first sleeve passage diameter configured to receive right and left bolt lugs 112, 114 and a forward passage portion 334 of a lesser second sleeve passage diameter configured to receive a portion of a firearm bolt 100 (not shown). The rear facing limit surface is located at a rear end 336 of the forward passage portion, is configured to oppose the stop surface, and defines a gap therebetween that defines a bolt lug space 324 that is configured to closely receive the right and left bolt lugs. The insert has a forward facing limit surface 338 spaced apart from the rear facing limit surface that defines a gap 340 therebetween configured to closely receive right and left bolt lugs 112, 114.

Thus, when used with the mid lock-up receiver 200, a bolt 100 is placed in the locked/in battery position by pushing the bolt forward until the right and left bolt lugs 112, 114 have contacted the rear facing limit surface 330, which prevents further forward movement of the bolt. The bolt handle 116 has then been lowered into the bolt handle notch 254, which has also rotated the right and left bolt lugs 112 such that rearward movement of the right and left bolt lugs and bolt is prevented by the forward facing limit surface 338.

A similar manufacturing process to the mid lock-up receiver 10 is used for the mid lock-up receiver 200. The insert 234 is still thermally bonded to the body 112 such that the sleeve is compressively received in the body wherein the body is in tension about the sleeve, and the sleeve is compressed by the body. The insert 234 and mid lock-up receiver 200 have the advantage of greater ease of machining. The receiver abutments 56 do not need to be machined in the body 112 because rear and forward facing limit surfaces 330, 338 present in the insert provide the same function. The resulting bolt lug space 324 defined by the gap 340 between the rear and forward facing limit surfaces has the advantage that the bolt lug space is positively dimensioned in a single part and machining step to avoid stacking tolerances. In contrast, the bolt lug space 124 is defined by a gap between the rear end 38 of the insert 34 and receiver abutments 56 machined in the body 12 of the mid lock-up receiver 10. The insert 234 is also easier to precisely locate within the body 112 because the stop surface 322 in the mid lock-up receiver 200 establishes a relative position of the sleeve with respect to the body. In contrast, the depth of insertion of the insert 34 within the body 12 requires highly precise fixtures.

In the context of the specification, the terms “rear” and “rearward,” and “front” and “forward” have the following definitions: “rear” or “rearward” means in the direction away from the muzzle of the firearm while “front” or “forward” means it is in the direction towards the muzzle of the firearm.

While a current embodiment of a mid lock-up receiver has been described in detail, it should be apparent that modifications and variations thereto are possible, all of which fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention. For example, although use of the current invention with a 0.22 rimfire bolt action rifle has been described, it should be appreciated that the current invention is also suitable for use with rifles having rimfire single shot and repeater actions. With respect to the above description then, it is to be realized that the optimum dimensional relationships for the parts of the invention, to include variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner of operation, assembly and use, are deemed readily apparent and obvious to one skilled in the art, and all equivalent relationships to those illustrated in the drawings and described in the specification are intended to be encompassed by the present invention. Therefore, the foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention. 

I claim:
 1. A firearm bolt action receiver comprising: an elongated body; the body defining a passage; the body having a first rear portion and a second forward portion adjacent to and forward of the rear portion; the first rear portion defining a first passage segment having a first diameter and the second forward portion defining a second passage segment having a second diameter greater than the first diameter; a stop surface defined at a forward end of the first rear portion; a sleeve defining a sleeve passage and received in the second passage segment; the sleeve having a rear-facing limit surface spaced apart from the stop surface; and wherein the rear-facing limit surface of the sleeve and a forward-facing limit surface of the sleeve spaced apart from the rear-facing limit surface define a bolt lug space. 